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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27764776">The Beauty of Lies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantumsentience/pseuds/quantumsentience'>quantumsentience</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Vampire Academy &amp; Related Fandoms, Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action &amp; Romance, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Angst, F/F, Femslash, Rescue Missions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:28:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27764776</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantumsentience/pseuds/quantumsentience</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>If something feels off, it's because it is.</em>
</p><p>It was the first rule of bodyguarding. And also Rose's first mistake.</p><p>When high ranking Manhattan elite Vasilisa Dragomir goes missing under strange circumstances, Rose Hathaway, her loyal bodyguard rushes to rescue her, not caring how many lives are lost in the process or what it will take to get her back.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lissa Dragomir &amp; Rose Hathaway, Lissa Dragomir/Rose Hathaway</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Beauty of Lies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The ballroom of the Dashkov residence was filled to the brim with Manhattan's most prestigious elites, dresses in sparkly dresses and crisp tuxedos, waltzing and chatting amongst themselves in their cliquey way, a glass of bubbly champagne in hand.</p><p>Rose glanced around the spacious room with its lavish european style, and even she had to admit it was pretty impressive. The walls were lined with artful, hand-painted murals, among them were symmetrically placed marble statues. Several crystal chandeliers hung high on the ceiling, bathing the whole thing in a warm, otherworldly light.</p><p>Not that it made it any less of an ordeal.</p><p>This particular cocktail party commemorated the signing of a billion dollar deal and was hosted by the most influential, not to mention loaded, man in the country, Victor Dashkov, who also happened to be Lissa's uncle.</p><p>Lissa herself was among the guests, making pleasant conversation with the son of a conglomerate heir like it was nothing, on her hand a glass of champagne Rose knew she wouldn't drink. She looked lovely in that pale pink dress of hers and, by the looks of it, that guy had certainly noticed. On her face was a perfect mask of beatitude, but Rose knew full well it was a façade. In fact, Rose could recall her calling that guy a 'perfect imbecile' at one point or the other. Yet you would never be able to tell by looking at her.</p><p>The fact of the matter was that everyone wanted to get on Lissa's good side, and understandably so, seeing as she was practically royalty, the sole heiress to a crazy large fortune and all that. Hell, Rose herself would gladly grovel next to the teenage millionaire if she weren't already her best friend.</p><p>Who would've guessed that this like of endless laughter and twinkling lights and ridiculously expensive champagne came as a package deal with tabloid gossip and vicious backstabbing. And, in Lissa's case, a long list of responsibilities.</p><p>Rose had her own shit to think about. Being the bodyguard of a rich Manhattan elite no less, was no easy job. Martial arts, tactical skills, espionage, military weaponry, you name it, Rose knew it. All to protect the princess.</p><p>Her partner's voice buzzed inside Rose's ear "No suspicious activity in Аничка's proximity" he said</p><p>Rose glanced towards the tall man with sand-colored hair who stood next to Lissa. Nothing in his demeanour nor attire indicated that he was anything other than a guest, but Rose saw the way his watchful eyes scanned the room, how he never left the princess' side. And she knew that his expensive suit concealed a loaded weapon, much like her own, that he was prepared to use in a heartbeat if the situation required it.</p><p>They both had the same training, after all.</p><p>"You mean no activity" Rose gave a chuckle "I'm telling you, if I have to sit through another of the Governor's speeches, I'll actually shoot myself"</p><p>Using the sacrosanct channel for jokes like that was probably a literal crime but Eddie was familiar with her antics.</p><p>"I thought you'd be used to it by now", Eddie remarked, but his good-natured tone proved he wasn't having that much fun either</p><p>Rose rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't probably see "To this? Not a chance"</p><p>"Yeah" Eddie gave a discrete chuckle "Anyway, she wants some fresh air", he said as he began to escort Lissa to the balcony</p><hr/><p>Lissa was perched on the railing, facing away towards the dark, perfectly trimmed garden. In front of her stood an English-style maze, and a shrub of roses the exact color of fresh blood. The golden barrettes in the girl's hair caught the light as she turned around.</p><p>"Rose" Lissa said with visible relief "How's everything? Are you enjoying yourself?"</p><p>"You mean you haven't died of boredom yet, princess?" Rose teased her "Don't worry, you'll get there eventually"</p><p>But boring was good. Boring was safe, and that was all that mattered to Rose. She glanced towards her partner Eddie far guarding the balcony entrance and monitoring the movements inside the hall. He stopped to whisper into his walkie, something that sounded like an event report.</p><p>Lissa supressed a little chuckle "Come on, it's really not that bad. Besides, you do know how much tonight means to my uncle"</p><p>"I know."</p><p>Lissa tucked a stray lock of golden hair behind her ear "I get why you have to farguard at these events but, uh, I guess it's more fun when you're with me, is what I'm saying"</p><p>"So you miss me, huh? Not that I can blame you" Rose took her blazer off and wrapped it around the princess' bare shoulders "I mean, I am way more fun. No offense, Eddie"</p><p>A chuckle was heard from a few feet behind them. "Oh shut up, Rose" he muttered lightly</p><p>But Lissa's eyes were trained on Rose's "How did you know I was cold?"</p><p>"You know we have that special bond, princess" Rose just gave a half shrug "That, and the fact that you're visibly shaking"</p><p>Not that Rose could blame her. It was November and cold as balls.</p><p>The simple button-up Rose was wearing didn't help much in combatting the freezing weather conditions, and she wished she at least had her long hair to cover her neck, but it was held up in a discrete low ponytail that didn't give much in the way of warmth.</p><p>"Oh. Okay" Lissa said quietly, a hint of embarrassment in her voice</p><p>It was not like Rose didn't miss being by the princess' side. After all, it was the way it had always been, the two of them together. And Rose wanted it to remain that way.</p><p>The fact that Rose was 5'4" and rather cute looking also made her perfect for close guarding, as she didn't obviously look like she could kick most people's asses and laugh while she did it at first glance, thus allowing her to blend in. However, her slight tendency to run her mouth had made for one too many chaotic encounters in the past. And Lissa had a reputation to uphold.</p><p>Eddie, with his 6"1 height and reserved attitude was way better suited for a far guard position, but he was pretty good at chatting with the crowd in that easy way of his, so it had been decided that their roles would be reversed. But Rose was already trying to get that decision overthrown, which mostly meant complaining about it at every occasion she could.</p><hr/><p>The sound of someone tinkling a glass made all conversations die down, as Victor Dashkov himself stood high on a podium at the front of the ballroom, a champagne glass in one hand, a dainty spoon on the other.</p><p>"All be welcome to the Dashkov's annual celebration" He spoke into the mic in that important way of his, which garnered a collective intake of breath</p><p>"My niece, Vasilissa" He continued, and all eyes turned to Lissa as he gave an elegant gesture towards her "And myself, thank every one of you for joining us this wonderful evening, and I sincerly hope" Victor paused to clear his throat  "That this will be as lovely as we envisioned it. It is with great pleasure that I am here to announce the" More cough "beginning of a new-"</p><p>What started out as an subtle ahem quickly turned into a full-on coughing fit that nothing could quiet. Lissa's uncle even took a sip of his glass in hopes it would soothe his throat but it was in vain. At this point, the crowd was going wild with remarks and appalled looks.</p><p>The man's own PSO had to step in as his spokesperson after a bit "The president thanks you all for attending tonight's gathering. He urges you to enjoy the rest of the night", he said in a curt tone, before swiftly escorting Victor away from the podium.</p><p>The guest's remained quiet for a few seconds with input lag, but quickly enough they kicked back into their earlier mood as conniving partygoers, which suited Rose just fine. A few whispered remarks and raised eyebrows notwithstanding.</p><p>It was impossible not to notice that something was up with the president. Despite being in his early thirties, his face was sagged, his hair almost completely bald, and his frame had become so freakishly slender that even his million dollar suit couldn't do much to hide it.</p><p>Even the kind-hearted weren't safe from tragedy. Perhaps especially them.</p><p>Rose felt a tentative hand on her wrist, and instantly gave Lissa a nod, anticipating it. She took out her walkie talkie "Аничка exiting the ballroom, over". The response was almost instantaneous "Copy that, over", and from the sound of the voice it was probably one of the younger guards</p><p>Rose and Lissa made their way out of the great hall and into the private quarters without a word, with Eddie following suit a few feet behind them.</p><hr/><p>Rose navigated the dark hallways effortlessly, an exact map of the mansion burned into the back of her eyes.</p><p>"You see this, Rose?" She remembered her mentor Dimitri saying to her during one of their first lessons, as he pointed at the complicated-looking blueprint on the table "This is the difference between life and death for Vasilissa."</p><p>At the time, she had found the class to be boring, and wanted to get right into the punching and kicking section of bodyguarding 101.</p><p>"Look at it, <em>really</em> see it", he had said. And so eventually she had.</p><p>As they got to Victor's chambers, his bodyguard was just closing the door behind him, a thoughtful expression on his face. He saw the three of them at the end of the corridor and his face changed.</p><p>Despite knowing the man for years, Rose and him had never quite gotten along. There was something about his cold, calculated behaviour that really gave her the creeps. To put it bluntly, she didn't trust him.</p><p>"Can I help you, Miss?", he said, addressing himself to Lissa. Protocol dictated that he report directly to the PSO in charge when it came to these things. Now, Rose didn't really gave many shits about protocol, and quite often deliberately broke it, but that didn't make her dislike him any less.</p><p>"Lissa here would like to see her uncle", Rose said, letting the anger seep into her voice "I'm sure that won't be a problem, right?"</p><p>He straightened his wiry glasses "That won't be possible. The president is unwell", he said matter-of-factly. Yet there was some smugness to his tone that was really rubbing Rose the wrong way. He was looking straight at her now, and she returned the look levelly with a healthy dose of hatred.</p><p>"He's allowed no visitors at the moment, I'm afraid"</p><p>Rose considered in how much trouble punching him in the face would get her, but she didn't get the chance to find out, because then a faint voice rose from the bedroom.</p><p>"Oh stop it, Ben" Victor said, not unkindly but with a stern tone "Let my nieces in"</p><p>The look on Ben's face was priceless.</p><p>But Rose's victory didn't last for very long, because as she made her way into the room, her heart instantly fell at the sight of Lissa's uncle.</p><p>Victor was laying on his spacious bed, and without the harsh ballroom light, his face was pale and dishevelled, and every breath he took seemed painful.</p><p>"Uncle" Lissa said as she carefully hugged him, and he hugged her back with a weak hand. She pulled away.</p><p>Rose walked further into the room "You gave us a scare back there old man", she said, crossing her arms over her chest.</p><p>He brushed off the remarks with a shaky hand "Oh, no matter that, dear. Tell me, how was the evening?", he said, looking at both of them</p><p>Lissa sat down at the edge of the bed "Well, Lord Harrington did keep bothering us. Though Rose scared him off, of course..."</p><hr/><p>Someone was standing in the dark hallway as they stepped out of Victor's room. It was Natalie. She was barefoot, still wearing her yellow party dress, with clumps of smudged mascara around her eyes, looking like a stand-up at prom night.</p><p>"He let you in?", she said in an emotionless tone</p><p>Lissa fumbled for words "Oh. Ah, yes. Ben didn't want to let us in at first, but we insisted"</p><p>The following silence was thick and uncomfortable as Natalie just looked at the both of them, on her face an expression of seething fury. Before Lissa could add anything else, Natalie turned around and walked into the dark corridor without a word. Only God knew how long she'd been waiting there for someone to let her in.</p><p>Victor, probably unconsciously, had always favored Lissa, after all. And it was hard not to, with her sunny personality and dependable attitude. Natalie, on the other hand, had a personality equivalent to a stale loaf of bread. Not that it made Lissa feel any better about it, any time Natalie stormed off like that, it was hard not to feel bad for her. Sometimes Rose forgot she even lived there at all, which Natalie tried really hard to change. To no avail, apparently.</p><hr/><p>The room exploded with brightness as Rose flipped the switch.</p><p>Lissa was standing at the doorway, yanking the golden pins off her hair, left cascading down in golden waves over her shoulders, as she waited. Rose noted her suit jacket was still draped over Lissa's party dress</p><p>She gestured towards her "Alright princess, no monsters in your closet. Unless you're counting that horrible dress the countess gave you, of course"</p><p>Lissa gave a little laugh despite herself "Oh, come on. It's not <em>that</em> bad", she said as she stepped into the room</p><p>"Not that bad?" Rose raised an eyebrow "It's got rainbow gemstones on it. And feathers"</p><p>"Okay, maybe it is a little ugly", she conceded with a laugh, as she sat down on her queen-sized bed, crumpling the pale pink covers in the process as she struggled to remove her strappy heeled sandals, her face showing the first signs of exhaustion that Rose knew perfectly well.</p><p>Rose headed back into the walk-in closet as Lissa stretched out on the bed with a sigh, she pushed dresses and fancy blouses aside and retrieved some pajamas, a soft cotton ensemble.</p><p>Lissa's voice resonated from the bedroom "Rose, you don't have to do that", she made a pause "You're not my servant or anything, you know. You already do too much for me as it is"</p><p>For some inexplicable reason she always got really weird whenever Rose did anything nice for her, and it sure wasn't the first time they'd had that discussion.</p><p>"I know that, dummy. I'm your friend. And you look exhausted, " Rose said as she threw the clothes at her "so here, change"</p><p>Lissa caught them in surprise, but didn't argue.</p><p>Once the princess was all set in bed, Rose bent over to lightly kiss her forehead.</p><p>"Sleep well, Liss." Rose said to her with a smile, before retrieving a lost bobby pin from hair "Also, you missed one of these"</p><p>That elicited a small laugh from Lissa "Thanks, Rose. I mean it"</p><p>Lissa's jade green eyes were trained on Rose's, suddenly serious, and a silent communication passed between them. It felt like she was thanking her for more than just the hair pin.</p><p>The lone golden pin glistened against the light on Lissa's beside table as Rose went to her room, on its end a tiny pearl.</p><p>In the annex room, Rose didn't even bother to turn on the lights as she threw her blazer in the approximate direction of her desk, already stacked with precarious towers of papers.</p><p>She undid her tie, or yanked it apart rather, and started to unbutton her blouse. Wearing a camisole and boy shorts, she buried herself under the covers, and breathed a big sigh of relief.</p><p>On Rose's nightstand sat a fully loaded revolver.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! This awesome pair makes a comeback in this au as the rich lady and her bodyguard, an action-packed classic. More to come very soon.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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